Cello sonatas and other works for cello and piano

[KevinP]

Despite numerous phases over the years in which my listening and buying habits have focused tightly on violin sonatas, I've never had a corresponding focus on cello sonatas.

This is not to say I don't have any, just that the ones I have come from exploring a certain composer or were purchased incidentally, coupled with a piece I was buying the disc for, rather than specifically targeting the genre.

What are your favrouite works for solo cello with piano (or other keyboard)?

[Luke]

What a massive topic! Shame we don't have Guido around any longer. He knows his cello repertoire like no one else.

There are uncountable wonderful cello+piano pieces, especially miniatures. Of larger works, focusing on sonatas and similar, my favourites include all the obvious ones - Britten, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov, Faure, Beethoven, Chopin, Kodaly etc. etc - but if I had to pick three:

Debussy - Sonata - perhaps the greatest cello sonata of them all. The soul of the instrument.
Janacek - Pohadka. Radiant lyricism, both intimate and epic. A jewel.
Brahms - both sonatas, early(ish) and late(ish), but the second particularly. Prime Brahms, what more needs to be said.

[Symphonic Addict]

Some firm favorite sonatas:

Grieg
Magnard
Myaskovsky 2
Martinu (any of them, the three are excellent)
Poulenc
Ginastera
Schnittke 1
Barber
Saint-Saens 1
Hindemith op. 11-3 (with piano) and op. 25-3 (solo cello)

[Florestan]

I'm greatly surprised Mendelssohn and Schumann have not been yet mentioned.

In my book the greatest cello sonata ever penned is Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata. 

[DavidW]

Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Martinu, and Faure for me.

[Maestro267]

I'm greatly surprised Mendelssohn and Schumann have not been yet mentioned.

In only 2 posts before this one? In as wide-ranging a repertoire as this is?

[Florestan]

In only 2 posts before this one? In as wide-ranging a repertoire as this is?

 

[Luke]

Plus I already gave the correct answer with the first reply     

[DavidW]

I'm greatly surprised Mendelssohn and Schumann have not been yet mentioned.

In my book the greatest cello sonata ever penned is Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata. 

We were waiting on you to do the honors.

[Florestan]

We were waiting on you to do the honors.

 

[Luke]

Of larger works, focusing on sonatas and similar, my favourites include all the obvious ones - Britten, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov, Faure, Beethoven, Chopin, Kodaly etc. etc - but if I had to pick three:

Debussy - Sonata - perhaps the greatest cello sonata of them all. The soul of the instrument.
Janacek - Pohadka. Radiant lyricism, both intimate and epic. A jewel.
Brahms - both sonatas, early(ish) and late(ish), but the second particularly. Prime Brahms, what more needs to be said?

I'm tempted to add the John Ireland sonata to one of those lists, definitely the first one, maybe even the second. It's that good.

[atardecer]

I think the Debussy and Brahms are my favorites, some others I like are the Prokofiev op. 119, the Elliott Carter cello sonata and this work by Joaquin Rodrigo:

Rodrigo - Sicilienne for cello and piano

[Opus131]

I believe Faure's cello sonatas are among his finest chamber works:

[KevinP]

At the intersection of two current rabbit holes.

The title is misleading though. Though it does feature cello+piano music, it also contains his cello concerto and other works.

[vandermolen]

Miaskovsky (No.2)
Frank Bridge
Moeran
Kabalevsky
John Foulds

[vers la flamme]

Just got the Rostropovich/Richter recordings of Beethoven's complete cello sonatas, excited to explore this segment of his work.

[AnotherSpin]

[Zauberschloss]

Rachmaninoff - Hee-Young Lim has replaced Shafran for best performance I've heard.
Debussy - still the old Gendron. Heard a phenomenal performance from Gautier Capuçon and Jean Yves-Thibaudet, but Capuçon's recording is bland and cautious, completely unlike his playing at this concert.

[Luke]

Yes, totally agree on the Gendron. Did I say that already?